Bad Traveler

An itinerant traveller, Gwen is now on her way home after years spent crossing the globe. She stopped off in Phoenix a few years back, ready to put down roots, but now as a single mother finds herself drawn home to Indiana.  In the airport she runs into her college crush, Kyle, who is on his way home too - he's signed on as assistant coach at the local college. Kyle was permanently injured in Afghanistan and he left the military sooner than he wanted.

All the ingredients are inside for a heartwarming tale of second chances, closing doors, and finding love on your own terms. Gwen has a plan for her and Chloe, and already has her bakery. The amount of detail the author gives to being a business owner while juggling an infant is superb. Kyle is working in athletics, even with a missing leg. The novel fails to live up to its potential, however, by using nothing but misunderstandings as the driving force for everything. They parted in college due to someone intentionally miscommunicating; she stays with her seriously crazy ex too long because his mother is the queen of denial; and every conversation between Kyle and Gwen is stuffed with unspoken words which are second-guessed and cause unnecessary reactions. Only a few of these are needed to drive this story. Kyle is a typical male, a wounded one, and a perfectly rendered portrait of a warrior trying to find his place. Gwen, on the other hand, is a paradox—a world traveler with a set path, who is also spineless. 

When one gets past this drawback, however, "Bad Traveler" is a good story with a strong, decent man leading it - one every reader will want.

Julie York